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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#242: Fine Art

Museums are magical places. There’s something so special about admiring art in sacred, silent spaces, together with complete strangers. In museums, time is suspended; you can forget about the outside world and lose yourself in the paintings, sculptures, and other artwork around you.


This week, let’s write some stories inspired by art and museums. Think about some of your favorite galleries, or consider creating a brand-new museum the world has yet to see. Let your imagination run wild, and maybe even try writing in a new genre. For this contest, the sky’s the limit!

This week's prompts

Write about a gallery whose paintings come alive at night.

Fantasy – 66 stories

Write about someone who accidentally destroys a museum’s most valuable artifact.

Funny – 31 stories

Write about an art thief who is struggling to commit the perfect heist.

Adventure – 31 stories

Write about two characters who meet and/or fall in love in a museum.

Romance – 98 stories

Start or end your story with a character who gets trapped inside a museum overnight.

Thriller and Suspense – 38 stories

Stories

“Eschatology Exhibition” by J. I. MumfoRD

Submitted to Contest #242

[tw gore, insane ravings, eldritch corruption]Sarah's palms left moist patches on the worn desk as she cursed the volunteer manager for leaving her to conduct the "Relics of the Occult" tour alone. Her notecards were smeared with sweat stains. She was not ready, but she had run out of time.She slid past the massive alcohol filled container of an immature leviathan and shelves full of specimen vats. Their unblinking eyes upturned in perverse supplication.She let herself through the armored door, piercing the insulated, fireproof glass wall, b...

15 comments 15
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“Swept Away by the Fine Arts” by Aeris Walker

Submitted to Contest #242

“Dad, this is the girl of my dreams. I’m sorry, but I’m not taking her to Crusty’s. No matter how good the chilly dogs are.”I may not be the most experienced guy when it comes to romance, but I know that there are certain places you should never bring a girl on a first date: McDonalds (obviously), monster truck rallies, your parent’s house (or any relative’s), and any establishment that sells food and gasoline under one roof. Crusty’s may be a local legacy—rumor has it President Roosevelt once stopped in and bought a corn dog—but it’s the po...

14 comments 14
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“Murphy's (Against the) Law” by Denise Glickler

Submitted to Contest #242

Let me introduce myself, I'm Murphy, a gal whose clumsiness is as legendary as my charm. I'm the sort of person who could trip over an ant and somehow manage to knock down a skyscraper in the process. My friends often joke that I could turn a simple walk into a slapstick comedy routine. Despite my constant mishaps, my wide-eyed innocence and never-ending apologies make it hard for anyone to stay mad at me for long. One bright afternoon, I decided to visit an antiques store. The store was a maze of delicate trinkets and priceless artifacts, a...

8 comments 8
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“The Expression of Love” by Kaitlyn Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #242

Stuart Kerr entered the Dallas Museum of Art and pretended to look at the exhibits. A crime had been committed. If he could only spot some clues. Later, he intended to look at the camera footage of the display being set up. This would pinpoint if the criminal act occurred offsite or during the early stages. For now, he looked for any missed detail others overlooked as they perused the entries. So far, nothing seemed out of place. Since February 2022, the Museum’s management team has been preparing to run a competition. They chose examples of...

14 comments 14
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“Salle des États” by Peyton Fleek

Submitted to Contest #242

I know what you’re thinking. Really? Mona Lisa? Again? Why is she even famous? I get it. People- critics, men, women, kids, celebrities, politicians- have been asking these questions for centuries. Who is she? What is she feeling? That’s not really the point of my story today, nor will I be answering any of your long sought after answers. However, I think if you will just hear me out you’ll find my account rather frivolous. It began when the final guard locked the doors this evening. The paintings waking up, as we subjects like to call ...

4 comments 4
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“Princess Amelia” by Jessie Laverton

Submitted to Contest #242

14th September 1964Dear Diary,Angela put gum in my shoe today. She put it there during PE then I didn't see it. Then I put my foot in my shoe the gum made a hard lump against my heel and it got stuck to my sock. So I had to take my sock off I only had one sock then and Miss Wilson sent me to the corner.I think it was Angela because she was laffing a lot when I put my shoes on. And Angela does bad things. She hid Billy's maths book. Billy told me in the shed. Then I was sad after school so I went to see the mammoth on the way home. I think it...

18 comments 18
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“The Gallery of Souls” by Noted Moments

Submitted to Contest #242

In the heart of the city, stood The Grand Galerie Des Rêves (Gallery of Dreams). This, its marble façade, adorned with intricate carvings and mysterious symbols. Within its walls, treasures from forgotten civilizations lay in silent rest, waiting for curious eyes to discover their secrets.Eamon, a humble night guard, patrolled the museum's silent halls. His footsteps echoed off the polished marble floors as he checked each exhibit. The museum was eerily quiet at night, and Eamon often wondered about the stories behind the artifacts. But one ...

5 comments 5
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“Nighthawks” by Martha Kowalski

Submitted to Contest #242

With a weary sigh, Edward locked up the gift shop and finally got out of the museum. After eight hours of “the restrooms are around the corner from the large Seurat painting,” “no, you don’t need to know who Seurat is, it’s so big you can’t miss it,” and “I’m sorry, the Starry Night mugs are all sold out. Yes, I know, it’s disappointing,” he was mentally exhausted. This job was supposed to be just a stepping stone until something better came along he could put that art history degree to; he’d spent 27 years in this place. The night shif...

8 comments 8
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“Charles & The Lady of the Manor” by Shobana Gomes

Submitted to Contest #242

A sense of déjà vu washed over me as I awoke in Paris. Arriving late the night before, the first thing that struck me was the magical facade of city nightlights when I exited the airport. The illuminated bridges, boulevards, and monuments created stunning scenery, along with the lighted cafes and buildings the taxi passed by.  Towering before me as we turned into the street corner to get to the Hotel Arc de Triomphe was the majestic Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile built by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 to celebrate his numerous victories in wa...

4 comments 4
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“When Iced Coffee Meets Fine Art” by Madeline Honig

Submitted to Contest #242

There were people everywhere on the sidewalks.  Everyone seemed the same in that they didn’t belong here.  They had phones out and were taking pictures.  They wore shorts, backpacks, and t-shirts they bought in the last 24-hours at a souvenir shop.  Some had ice cream in their hands, some were caring babies, and some with shopping bags.  It was the usual mark of any tourist area and that did not exclude Cannery Row in Monterey Bay, California.   Ever since Fynn and Courtney were small children, their parent...

5 comments 5
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“The Chance Meeting” by Kristina Lushey

Submitted to Contest #242

Clack, clack, clack went my high heels on the polished marble floor of the Prado Museum. I wore a short skirt with a crop top, and received many 'piropos' (catcalls), on my way into the museum. It wasn’t my intention to attract attention, I just dressed the way I liked to dress.The vibrant streets of Madrid pulsed with life, filled with people and colourful buildings. It was my first solo trip to Spain, but although Madrid is a vast city, everyone was so friendly, I never felt alone. In fact, I felt very much at home. My schoolgirl Spanish i...

18 comments 18
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“NIGHTWATCH: SECRETS OF THE LIVING GALLERY” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #242

In the heart of the city stood a grand museum adorned with relics of history and culture, its towering façade standing as a testament to the centuries that have passed. Upon entering the museum, visitors stand greeted by vast halls housing various artifacts, ranging from ancient sculptures to medieval manuscripts, each whispering tales of bygone eras. Immersive exhibitions transport guests through the annals of time, displaying the evolution of human civilization in vivid detail.Spanning multiple floors, the museum boasts an expansive collec...

0 comments 0
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“The Plan” by Alyce King

Submitted to Contest #242

‘’For goodness sake, come on, you can’t be serious?’’ she questioned him. He had been telling them all about the lady who passed today and peered over her sunglasses at him, and winked. ‘’I am serious, I saw her do it!’’ he cried. ‘’You’ll have a job,’’ she hushed under her breath, ‘’Mr no eyes, and anyway why was she wearing sunglasses indoors?!’’ The rest of the room fell about laughing, she smiled knowingly, they were still more favoured towards her, than him.She was proud of her looks; tidy hair under scarves, no need for lipstick as her...

2 comments 2
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“Pay it Forward” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #242

Archie knew he had a problem, but he also had another problem that compounded that problem. Firstly, he was in the habit of not listening. But what made it worse was that even in knowing that he wasn’t listening and that this was increasingly becoming a problem, he did nothing about it. “You can’t do this,” Archie said as he was manhandled from the car and walked to the back door of the huge edifice of a building made ominous by the dark shadows thrown by street lamps that stood well back and avoided the less salubrious parts of the city. “A...

8 comments 8
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“The island museum” by Krissa Svavars

Submitted to Contest #242

When I was 8 my dad took me to see the movie “Night at the museum.” It captivated me and since then I have been in love with history. So much that I became a professor of history at the University of Columbia. Professor Daniel McNeal, it has such a beautiful ring to it. Especially after how hard I worked to become a professor at such an early age, only 24, but I made it. It was the happiest day of my life. Until now that is. They invited me to a soft opening of the new Norwegian Viking Museum at Klosterøy, or Monastery Island as it’s somet...

8 comments 8
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$250

Prize money

264

Contest entries

118

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 22, 2024 EST

Won by Niamh O'Dea 🏆

Title: Do Not Touch

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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